1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cutting blade assemblies for hydraulic food cutting apparatuses and more particularly to a cutter blade assembly for hydraulic food cutting apparatuses that provide for better cutting results, higher quality products, and reduced damage to the cutting blade assembly.
2. Background of the Invention
Many food products, particularly vegetables and fruits, are processed prior to sale either by canning or freezing. Unless the product involved is of a naturally occurring edible size, for example peas, the product is usually trimmed and sliced or diced, to an edible size prior to preservation processing (such as canning or freezing). These slicing, dicing and other cutting operations have traditionally been accomplished with mechanical cutters. However, relatively recent advances in food product cutting technologies have resulted in the common use of hydraulic cutting apparatuses, which can be used to cut relatively large quantities of food product at very high speeds.
In a typical hydraulic cutting apparatus wherein potatoes are to be cut, the potatoes are dropped into a tank filled with water. They are then pumped through a conduit into an alignment chute wherein the potatoes are aligned and accelerated to high speeds before impinging upon a cutter blade assembly where the potato is cut into a plurality of smaller pieces. Hydraulic cutting apparatuses, or as they are known in the trade, hydroknives, can be utilized to cut extremely high volumes of potatoes if the potatoes can be properly aligned and accelerated to high speeds immediately prior to impact with the cutter blade assembly.
Quite obviously, there are a variety of applications for hydraulic cutter knives other than just for potatoes. Some of these include cutting beets, pickles, carrots, apples, pineapples and literally a host of other edible food products.
Typical cutter blade assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,478 (Mendenhall), U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,794 (Mendenhall), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,308 (Mendenhall). Such cutter blade assemblies are constructed from a front inlet adapter plate having an inner longitudinal passageway there through and shaped to form a generally conical converger. Pyramidal knife supports are attached in opposing pairs around the conical converger to the back of the front inlet adapter plate to form a pyramidal frame. A plurality of knives are attached in a staggered, generally perpendicular, arrangement to form a sequential cutting grid.
As potatoes or other vegetables are processed by passing through the cutting blade assembly, a variety of events take place. Ideally, the potatoes align correctly, pass through without turbulence or interruption, and produce products with straight clean-cut edges that have the desired shape. This, however, is the ideal and in reality a variety of complications and variances take place. First, wearing of the blades in the cutter assembly is a natural phenomenon and results in the blades becoming dull, removed from proper alignment, and deformed. In addition, the force of impact of the potatoes being cut against the blade cutter assembly can cause the holding portion of the blades to be moved and can result in the loss of tension between the blades. In addition, the force of impact of some of the product can cause the blades to be displaced from their proper alignment and orientation and can cause the spacing between the blades to be compressed. This phenomenon is further exacerbated when the flow material through the tube produces turbulence or causes the vegetable matter to impact against the cutter blades in a way other than the way is intended to produce the desired cutting results.
These factors can result in damage to the equipment as well as inferior cut products. As the cutting blades become worn, less tensioned, and out of alignment, the products that are to be cut often times break or tear. As a result, the products produced tend to be of a lesser quality than is desired and are therefore less economically and commercially valuable.
Blade chatter is the designation given to the phenomena that occurs when the blades in a cutting assembly lose tension and begin to wobble and vibrate. Blade chatter is frequently a concern in the design and use of cutter blade assemblies. Using blades which are too thin, feeding too high of a volume of vegetable mater through the blade assembly, and/or blade wear all can result in chatter. Chatter results in a lower quality cutting of the vegetable matter and increases the chance of breakage of the assembly.
As mentioned above, blade wear can be a source of chatter. For instance, the blades shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,083 (Jensen et al.) are attached to the assembly frame through use of bolts that extend through holes formed within the blades. The stress of vegetable material being forced against the center of the blade forces the blade to be partially deformed and stretched and for the holes which surround the bolts to be elongated. As the metal wears, the cutting portion is stretched and these holes enlarge. When this occurs, the blades lose tension and can no longer be held taught. These loose blades will then vibrate and chatter will result.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,625 (Mendenhall) discloses an improved blade apparatus including a blade tensioning means made up of an adjustment screw (within the blade mount) that bears against a roll pin, which, in turn, pushes a portion of the blade around a pair of anvils into a recess. The result is a blade assembly having tension that can be adjusted, by tightening and loosening the adjustment screw, thereby allowing a user to compensate for wear by adjusting the blade to maintain tension. While this is effective in maintaining tension on the blade, the tension is only held in a strong position as long as the portions of the cutting blade that surround the holes through which the blades pass are held in place. When these portions wear, the blade becomes loose and chatter becomes a problem because the blade is not adequately anchored.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved device for anchoring a blade within a blade mount thereby reducing vibration and xe2x80x9cchatterxe2x80x9d of the saw blades. What is also needed is an improved device for adjustably tensioning of a cutting blade in a hydraulic cutting apparatus. Embodiments of the present invention satisfy these needs.
What is also needed is an anti-compression stabilizer ring for locking pyramidal knife supports in place thereby preventing these pyramidal knife supports from moving when blades are tensioned, as well as supporting the cutter blade assembly when impacted by an item of food to be cut. Embodiments of the present invention satisfy this need.
What is also needed is a flow alignment control tube for lining the blade assembly and for promoting laminar flow of material through the cutter assembly, reducing turbulence within the liquid carrier medium, and reducing product breakage as the product is pushed through the blades of the assembly. Embodiments of the present invention satisfy this need.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The present invention is an improved cutter assembly for cutting vegetable matter in a hydraulic cutting apparatus or hydroknife. In one of the preferred embodiments, this cutter assembly comprises a body having an axial bore through which material to be cut transits, at least one elongate blade crossing said axial bore, and an anchoring and tensioning apparatus for mounting the elongate blade(s) to the body.
The body further has a first blade mounting surface and a second blade mounting surface for receiving the first and second ends of a blade having a width. The body has surfaces defining a first recess underlying a portion of the first blade. This first recess has a width preferably at least as great as the width of the blade. A second recess is likewise presented within the first blade mounting surface and also underlies a portion of the blade. This second recess also preferably has a width at least as great as the width of the blade. A third recess is provided within a second blade mounting surface underlying a portion of the blade. This third recess has a width preferably at least as great as the width of the blade.
A first blade clamp is provided for mounting the blade first end portion to the first blade-mounting surface. This first blade clamp has a first crimping flange configured to lock a portion of the first blade into the second recess. Likewise, a second blade clamp is provided for mounting the blade second end portion to the second blade mounting surface. This second blade clamp having a second crimping flange configured for locking a portion of the first blade into the third recess.
The blade is held in a position by the first and second blade mounting surfaces of the body whereby a cutting portion of the blade body passes across the axial bore of the body. In use in a hydraulic cutting apparatus, this axial bore will provide a passageway through which products to be cut will pass. The portion of the blade that transverses this axial bore provides a cutting surface for cutting these materials. The first and second blade mounting surfaces are configured to work in conjunction with the first and second blade mounting clamps along with traditional type fasteners, i.e. bolts and screws, to hold the blades in place in a position which is more secure and tightly anchored than those found in the prior art. This results in less vibration, flexing or variation of the cutting blade when impacted by items to be cut and lengthens the useful life of the blades in the cutter. By reducing these undesired characteristics, the present invention allows a cutter blade assembly to produce higher quality product at a more efficient cost.